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Bundesamt für Naturschutz

The German MAB National Committee

Each country that participates in the MAB Programme establishes a committee to serve as the connecting link between the national and international levels. This usually takes the form of a National Committee. There are currently 158 National Committees in UNESCO’s 195 member states.
Logo MAB National Commitee Germany
Logo MAB National Commitee Germany

In Germany, the then Federal Environment Minister appointed the National Committee for the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme in 2018. The Committee comprises 20 experts from science and practice, all of whom have relevant experience in the thematic areas covered by the MAB-Programme. The current members of the Committee are appointed up to 2023. 

The Committee is chaired by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), and managed by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN).

Contact at BfN

Claudine Fenouillet
MAB Office
+49 228 8491-1782

The German MAB National Committee mandate

The German MAB National Committee is assigned the following tasks:

  • Implement and further develop the interdisciplinary, intergovernmental UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme
  • Advance Germany’s national contribution to the MAB Programme, notably:
    • Continue to develop the criteria for the nomination and assessment of biosphere reserves in Germany
    • Develop strategies for sustainable management practices in biosphere reserves
    • Design concepts for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in biosphere reserves
    • Evaluate biosphere reserves in Germany
    • Explore opportunities to foster implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) under the MAB Programme
  • Collaborate with UNESCO’s international MAB Programme bodies

Members of the German MAB National Committee

 
Name Organisation
Dr. Stefanie Hedtkamp (Chairperson) Head of Division N I 2 "Habitat Protection, Natura 2000" at BMUV
Margret Brahms Former Head of Department for Nature Conservation at the Environment Schleswig-Holstein
Lennart Berwanger Trainee in the BR Bliesgau, MAB Youth
Dr. Frauke Druckrey Former Environmental Representative of the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI)
Barbara Engels Secretary of the German MAB National Committee, Federal Agency for Nature Conservation
Birgit Grauvogel Executive secretary of Tourism Saarland
Thomas Habermann Chief administrative officer of Landkreis Rhön-Grabfeld (BR Rhön)
Oswald Henkel Ecological farmer, Chair of Direct marketers’ organisation Rhön
Prof. Dr. Hubertus Job University of Würzburg, Chair for Geography and Regional Research
Adrian Johst Executive Secretary of Naturstiftung David of BUND Thüringen
Melanie Klock Master Student Landscape Ecology, MAB Youth
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jörg Knieling Chair of Regional Development at the University of Hafen City Hamburg
Prof. Dr. Vera Luthardt Chair for Vegetation science and Applied Plant Ecology at the Eberwalde University for Sustainable Development
Helga May-Didion Head of Division, Nature Protection, Ministry of Environment and Consumerism of the Saarland
Dr. Lutz Möller Vice-Secretary General of the German Commission for UNESCO (DUK)
Prof. Dr. Heike Molitor Chair for Environmental Education and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) at the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development
Prof. Dr. Johannes Prüter Former Manager of the BR Elbe River Landscape in Lower Saxony
Prof. Dr. Irene Ring Chair for Ecosystem Services at the Technical University of Dresden, International Institute Zittau (IHI)
Lothar Schmid Head of Divion for Nature Conservation at the Institute for Federal Real Estate (BImA)
Dr.-Ing. Nicole Spundflasch Vize-President of NABU (Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union), freelance planner
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